The term "curb appeal" is a very underrated term. The first introduction buyers have to your investment is what they see from their car window. Staging your home starts with its exterior and the grounds surrounding it. A healthy lawn, shrubbery, trees and an uncluttered lawn make a good first impression of the home and yourself. Allow the buyers to imagine living there before they even enter your home.

Upon entering minimize distractions. By this I mean de-clutter each and every room. Buyers will picture their own personal items or ideal furniture in a room if they are not overwhelmed by your own. A room that has less in it only seems small to the person who has reduced the amount of things in it. A balance of hard and soft furniture as well as simpler shapes bring focus to the room as the buyer enters.

A home on the market must always be a close to white glove clean as possible. Windows. carpets, draperies, lamps, stairs and floors should all pass the white glove test. Odors are critical. Dirty fireplaces and wood stoves can make an overriding negative impression on first time visitors or cause them to wonder what other less obvious problems exist. I strongly recommend that construction flaws be repaired prior to placing a home on the market. Never try to mask a defect.

Price to the market. If you are not prepared to list your home at a fair market value I suggest you wait for a stronger market. Serious qualified buyers are better judges of true value than sellers. They have been making active comparisons of homes in your price parameters regularly. By setting an asking price above market value serious buyers won't seriously consider your home. Attracting multiple competing buyers is your objective and will only result when the perceived value is too strong to be ignored.

An experienced agent is important to your effort. An agent who can correctly value your home and attract buyers to it over a 3 or 4 month period will be more useful to you than one who doesn't and thereby allows your home to languish on the market for an extended period. Effective marketing of your home by the agent and agency is equally as important.

Access is essential. Be prepared to vacate for showings with reasonable notice. Restricted viewing hours and or days will inhibit certain buyers from seeing your home. And be prepared to negotiate. It may helpful to view your home impersonally, though it has been your most valued treasure for many wonderful years, as a commodity subject to the existent market conditions.